Signs Panera Might Not Be Around Much Longer

Panera's been around for nearly 40 years but how much longer could the chain have when its lemonade might actually kill you unfortunately the idea that the food quality at Panera Bread has declined in recent years seems to be shared by consumers and employees alike one disappointed redditor wrote Panera has gotten far far away from what it was eliminating Bakers and going to pre-made frozen bread people would come in for the fresh baked bread and soon what they will be getting will be no different than if they went to Walmart and bought frozen dough and cooked it at home many pinned this downhill trend on Panera's acquisition in 2017 by jaab holding Co a private Equity Firm that swept in and purchased the company from its founder the change in ownership consumers conclude seems to have kickstarted the slow erosion of Panera's food quality one redditor wrote they got bought by a private Equity Group and they completely skimped on everything and tried to capitalize simply on its image we all like to remember Panera as a comfortable cozy hangout spot where one could order a sandwich with a of hot soup sit down in a nice padded booth and take one's time dining at Panera it always felt that care had been taken to create a pleasant and welcoming atmosphere worthy of its customers's time Panera is just wonderful because you you just feel so comfortable in there recently however it seems that the once comfortable environment of the eery has changed for the worst one frustrated former fan wrote on Reddit I used to go all the time with my mom from like 2006 to 2012 I remember everything tasting good and the atmosphere being extremely comfy I went to a Panera a few months ago and man it's like walking into a completely different establishment SL franchise practically nothing I remember has remained another reviewer on Trip Adviser echoed this saying that their local Panera does not promote comfort and conversation they pinned this effect on its newly styled open seating which gives a feeling of consistent overcrowding as well as angular surfaces that amplify surrounding noises seeing as Panera has traditionally maintained an atmosphere full of comfort it naturally became a place where people opted to get work done using laptops to answer emails or write papers at one of the Chain's numerous tables while dining but in order to be considered an ideal location for working while eating ample power outlets to charge laptops are a necessary feature unfortunately though finding a place to plug in your charger seems to be a glaring problem for many who dine and work at Panera Bread one online review from way back in 2014 slammed a local Panera for its very few and also dangerous looking Outlets claiming that Wi-Fi was being limited for customers another consumer on Reddit suggested that the chain was intentionally providing fewer Outlets to encourage people to leave writing they want table turnover getting a customer to leave however only makes sense if they can also bring in a new customer to replace them and if you can't find what you need like an outlet who's to say whether the average working customer will want to return to Panera at all sometimes a private Equity Firm will decide it's time to take a company at manages public this is called an initial public offering or IPO and it's exactly where paner BR is headed jaab Holden Co the current owner of the chain restaurant has ushered in a brand new CEO as it reportedly prepares for IPO Panera is tapping Jose Alberto duas as its new CEO however IPOs are a notoriously tricky business undertaking good-look profit margins are ideal when heading into one which has led many to speculate that the company may make short-term changes that have negative long-term implications one user on Reddit said Panera is planning to do an IPO early next year this means they will take the company public again so their goal in the meantime is to make the bottomline profit as big as possible they do this by eliminating jobs and cutting costs they went on to detail some of the alarming cost cutting measures writing they've slowly replaced many products with inferior SL cheaper versions they will take their money and run and we will be left with the shell of the company that was one of those speculations has already come to fruition with Panera eliminating 177% of its corporate employees at the end of 2023 a whopping three 00 corporate workers were ushered out the door in November of that year and it seems likely that more layoffs are coming while being laid off would certainly be a reason for a worker to become distraught employees of Panera have been reporting extreme dissatisfaction in the workplace long before the IPO induced layoffs began in one Reddit post crafted by a despondent Panera employee titled struggling to stay an alleged former general manager of the franchise chimed in from my experience Panera is an incredibly toxic Place their entire corporate culture is beyond toxic and and it's not about to get any better anytime soon get out do not waste any more of your life working for them multiple additional threads seem to confirm this professed toxicity with one worker going so far as to describe incidents of screaming between themselves and management that caused tears some workers attribute many of Panera's extreme work environment issues to the onset of the covid-19 pandemic but whatever the reason a miserable Workforce is never a good sign for a company it's understandable that prices EB and flow in restaurants as costs of ingredients can fluctuate significantly when these price fluctuations are within reason generally speaking consumers usually look the other way but if price increases are frequent or exorbitant consumer eyebrows begin to rise one chain restaurant that has earned its share of criticism in recent years regarding what some consider to be excessive price gouging is you guessed it Panera Bread one frustrated redditor and self-described Panera employee wrote they've consistently raised prices every 3 months for years with little to no pay increases for the veteran workers a customer on a separate Reddit thread commented a huge shame I loved Panera 3 years ago now can't justify the prices I can cook a week's worth of soup with sandwiches too for the price of what they charge for a meal although the discontent with the prices at Panera Bread seems to be widespread it also seems unlikely that price Cuts will be considered anytime soon given that the restaurant's parent company is preparing for an IPO and trying to rake in as much profit as possible before this impending change we predict that the elevated prices will hold at least for now no one can deny that Panera Bread's menu has many options for every taste from simple Bakery pastries like the cinnamon crunch bagel to full-on hot Entre like the teriyaki chicken and broccoli Bowl there's a little something to satisfy any craving at least there used to be a few months ago a massive menu cut was put into effect at select locations and it included the slashing of many consumers's favorite products one redditor reacted in disbelief to the changes writing sourdough bread Nappa chicken salad cranberry muffin chocolate chip Bagel what's the point and going anymore bring back french onion soup you cowards yeah though this limited menu is only being implemented at select Panera locations for now the company told KTLA in an interview we routinely test different menu options in a small number of Panera Bakery cafes with the goal of providing a faster and more convenient guest experience while also simplifying operations for our Associates it seems likely that the intended and goal of the small menu experiment is its eventual implementation into more maybe even all locations for a restaurant chain wanting to maintain a loyal crowd having a decent coffee is Paramount unfortunately there seems to be a widespread feeling among consumers that Panera's bruise are lacking one under caffeinated redditor wrote why do we allow Panera to offer the most vile water down translucent and bitter iced coffee on the market McDonald's Wendy's hell even quick trip and other convenience stores sell much better coffee what's the deal this hatred for the chains iced coffee is well established extending across multiple platforms including Facebook and Trip Advisor but it isn't only the chains iced sibles that have come under Fire the hot coffee is also criticized by customers one revolted redditor wrote they all taste like crap hot coffee SL IED coffee it's just disgusting with such poorly reviewed beverages fans can only hope that such negative customer feedback will be heated and appropriate adjustments made for everyone's sake every customer on the planet wants to feel like they're getting a bang for their buck when it comes to eating out so while generous portions are appreciated by eaters measly ones especially those with steep price tags tend to be looked upon with disdain unfortunately for Panera Bread it's been getting the latter reaction from consumers regarding its portions gone are the days of huge sandwiches pastries and near to overflowing bowls of soup according to the disappointed Panera customers of the world while many feel that the company's prices have done nothing but steadily increase over time the products themselves seem to have simultaneously decreased in size one scathing review on Trip Adviser gave voice to the overall suspicion that people are being shorted very very small servings what a joke you order a bowl and you get this massive bowl with about a cups worth of soup in it such a horrible ripoff for what you pay and it isn't only consumers calling out the seemingly shrunken Panera Bread Kitchen Creations on Reddit a self-professed Panera Baker confirmed that many of the Chain's pastries including Panera's pastry Rings cinnamon rolls and brownies are in fact smaller than they used to be the next time you place an order at Panera and wonder about the questionable size of your sandwich it may not be all in your head the FDA places a recommended daily limit of no more than 400 Mig of caffeine per day for most people so keeping an eye on one's total coffee tea and soda intake is important as it turns out there is an additional source of caffeine coming out of Panera Bread the chains charged lemonade is touted by the company for its clean and natural ingredients but what many don't realize is that this sweet drink also contains a potentially dangerous amount of caffeine in recent years Panera has been hit with three recent legal battles thanks to its controversial lemonade product two people have died of cardiac arrest and one has developed lasting heart issues after consuming the beverage allegedly none of them realized just how caffeinated it really was the lawsuits claim that the labeling of the charged lemonades downplays their potentially risky caffeine levels before the Scandal a large charged lemonade contained up to 390 Mig of caffeine almost your entire recommended daily limit in just one beverage and more than four times the 95 mg found in a typical 8 oz cup of coffee and more it didn't just have 390 Mig of caffeine which is a lot of caffeine it also had another stimulant it's called Gana Panera seems to have adjusted their recipe as the charged lemonade is currently listed with 237 mg of caffeine for a large Panera continues to stand by the safety of its product but has also reportedly moved it behind the counter instead of dispensing it from a self-served station this might save lives but whether or not the drink should be offered at all remains a controversial topic consumers ultimately determine whether or not any restaurant will remain in business and in the case of Panera customers appear to slowly be dropping their allegiance to the once beloved eery one by one one disparaging comment on Reddit reads there's not a single redeeming item at the chain not a single item I ever crave there anymore it used to be awesome and way more fresh when I was younger in the mid to late 2000s now it's just glorified office cafeteria food numerous public blasts exist on various online forums written by dissatisfied customers claiming they've been served nothing but tiny underwhelming sandwiches and sadl looking salads at exorbitant prices will Panera be able to regain the Public's favor and loyalty only time will tell

Channel: Mashed

Views: 180,714

Keywords: mashed, panera bread, fast food, restaurant, food

Id: yukD8nutEO4

Length: 11min 16sec (676 seconds)

Published: Wed May 01 2024